Continue to take any prescription medicines unless your provider tells you not to take them.

Your provider may ask you to:

Eat only light meals the day before the biopsy.

Do an enema at home before the procedure to cleanse your rectum.

Take antibiotics the day before or on the day of your biopsy.

How the Test will Feel

During the procedure you may feel:

Mild discomfort while the probe is inserted

A brief sting when a sample is taken with the biopsy needle

After the procedure, you may have:

Soreness in your rectum

Small amounts of blood in your stools, urine, or semen, which may last for days to weeks

Light bleeding from your rectum

To prevent infection after the biopsy, your provider may prescribe antibiotics to take for several days after the procedure. Be sure you take the full dose as directed.

Why the Test is Performed

A biopsy is done to check for prostate cancer or to find the cause of an enlarged prostate.

Your provider may recommend a prostate biopsy if:

A blood test shows that you have a higher than normal prostate specific antigen (PSA) level

Your provider discovers a lump or abnormality in your prostate during a digital rectal exam

Normal Results

Normal results from the biopsy suggest that no cancer cells have been found.

What Abnormal Results Mean

A positive biopsy result means that cancer cells have been found. The lab will give the cells a grade called a Gleason score. This helps predict how fast the cancer will grow. Your doctor will talk to you about your treatment options.

The biopsy may also show cells that look abnormal, but may or may not be cancer. Your provider will talk with you about what steps to take. You may need another biopsy.

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